Many Paths

Piano music byFrederic Rzewski -
impressesRODERIC DUNNETT

'... a marvel of composition, enjoyable by anyone.'

The somewhat provocative title here is relevant: 'The people united' is one of those immensely powerfulmelodies which emerged from the desperate struggles between Right and Left in Southern America — most famously Argentina and Chile — during the 1970s and 80s. The song originated with the Chileancomposer Sergio Ortega (1938-2003), sung by popularfolk group Quilapayún, and expressed the determination of the common people not to knuckle under to the dictatorial, self-appointed military regimes which seized power, overthrowing legitimate governments such as that of Salvador Allende, with every intention of holding and clinging on to power for an indeterminate time.